Sensation-seeking may be linked to brain anatomy Society for Neuroscience

Sensation-seeking may be linked to brain anatomy Society for Neuroscience

WASHINGTON, DC — People prone to seeking stimulation and acting impulsively may have differences in the structure of their brains according to a study published in the April 6 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. What’s more, those differences may predispose them to substance abuse. Avram Holmes, a psychologist at Yale University, and a team of researchers from Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, found that increased impulsivity and sensation-seeking in healthy young adults was linked to distinct differences in their brain structures: the areas involved in decision-making and self-control had a thinner cortex, the brain’s wrinkled outer layer or gray matter. This study builds on well-established links between impulsivity, sensation-seeking, and substance abuse. Prior research indicates genes play a role in these behaviors. Other studies conclude substance…